Things Fall Apart - The Roots (1999)

90s Intermezzo - some 90s albums I loved in the 90s

The turn of the century neo-soul revolution was maybe not orchestrated, but definitey sparked and shaped by Questlove and The Roots.

The band had dropped 3 previous albums that had helped build a movement, but this is the moment when it all spilled over into the wider world outside of underground hip hop.

The live-band feel goes great with Black Thought’s lyrical flow. There’s a sense of purpose and structure that a lot of even the best hip hop lacks sometimes.

I didn’t really know much about the “soulquarian” movement in soul music, but at the time it came out this record hit me like a hammer.